Here’s what Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown said about their friendship

Celtics

“If you all want to hear it from me, he’s my dog.”

Still have questions about whether Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown get along?

Brown would like to set the record straight.

“If you all want to hear it from me,” Brown said in a joint interview with Tatum on NBC Sports Boston, “that’s my dog.”

The chatter around Tatum and Brown reached unprecedented levels this summer as talking heads and members of the media wondered if the two liked each other. The Celtics want to keep both players happy, but Tatum’s best friend – Bradley Beal – could be available if the Wizards fight again this season, which helped spark the discussion.

Tatum and Brown, however, came together. Brown was drafted in 2016, while Tatum was drafted in 2017. The duo advanced to the Eastern Conference final in Tatum’s rookie year, and again two years later. In the meantime, they’ve been through a tumultuous season with Kyrie Irving. Last year, they absorbed growing pains and a rough season with COVID-19.

Now Tatum and Brown are tired of answering these questions.

“I don’t mean it’s weird, but could you imagine being our age and being in the spotlight and having all these people wanting to know if you’re friends with another 24, 25 year old?” Tatum told Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. “I’ve known JB for seven years or something and over time like he said we’ve been through things together. We made the playoffs, we were in the bubble, we had heated arguments, we had a good time. And I think that’s part of spending time together.

“And, yes, we are closing. Like, his family looked at my son. People are different, people have different interests, but it’s just part of being with someone.

Brown praised Tatum profusely, saying the 23-year-old will be “one of the greatest.”

“He’s my man, you know what I mean?” Brown said. “It’s weird talking about it in front of the camera. But he’s my man. Like if you need anything, you can come see me anytime. Do we have to talk about something? We can pick up the phone, you know what I mean? It’s like that.”